Maximum Yield USA December 2019 / January 2020 | Page 25

Gardens have seen their share of trends and
fads over the years. Here’s a fun look at the
good, the bad, and the plain ugly.
by Alan Ray
G
ardening has been around a long time, and gardens
have seen no shortage of fads and fashions come and go
over the years. From different crops to pest control methods,
designs and layouts to the proverbial pink flamingo and
garden gnomes, garden techniques, style, and care have gone
through many notable transformations. Outdoors, growing
practices like crop rotation and companion planting have
respectively led to better soil health and solutions for natural
pest control. Indoors, vertical farming and internet-connected
plant monitoring systems such as the Internet of Things
platforms and Machine to Machine technology have increased
efficiency and productivity while decreasing environmental
impact. Here’s a look at some fads that had their moment in
the sun before fading into the shade of history and some of the
latest agricultural trends that seem destined to influence the
way we garden today and tomorrow.
Trends of Yesteryear
Garden Types
Originating in England, the cottage garden is one
gardening fad that has lost much of its popularity in
recent years. Lovely in their naturally rugged way, cottage
gardens are a hodgepodge of grasses and plants amidst a
mishmash of multi-colored perennials and herbs. They’re
generally set close around the house with an informal and
seemingly casual design. With such a large variety packed
into a small space, cottage gardens sometimes crowd out
natural vegetation and require a lot of water. Naturally,
there are some who still plant this style of garden
(it’s lovely surrounding a quaint stone cottage
in England), but for many, it’s a fad whose
time has come and gone (plus cottage
gardens can appear somewhat out of
place in a yard sporting an aluminum-
sided house).
Another once-popular style of
garden was the victory garden.
Also known as war gardens, they
were planted in the US, Canada,
Australia, the UK, and other countries
during the First and Second World
Wars. Born out of necessity, victory
gardens contained an amalgamation
of fruit, vegetables, and herbs that
helped reduce the strain on the
public food supply during the
lean war years.
Other gardens that have
gone out of style include shade
gardens and water gardens.
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